It could hardly be bigger. Two out of the top three leading clubs in the world set for a grand European battle on what could be another famous Old Trafford night. Three weeks may have passed since these old clubs last met, but none of the focus or intensity surrounding the tie has drifted away. As Real Madrid coach José Mourinho put it on Monday, “the world will stop to watch”.
Indeed, not only are both Manchester United and the visitors sporting some of the game’s finest, but each is in good form too. United, having not lost in any competition since 5 December, now sport a 12-point lead in the Premier League, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side chasing silverware on three fronts. Meanwhile, Mourinho’s outfit arrives having beaten Barcelona twice in the space of eight days, home and away.
Each side has enough weaponry to seize victory on the night, although United has the edge having scored at the Bernabéu in the opening tie of this Round of 16 clash. But it is, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo, on whom most eyes will gaze – the 28-year-old forward returns to Old Trafford as a player for the first time since departing in summer 2009. A long-lost love.
The match also promises to be a fascinating tactical battle, with each one of Europe’s finest counter-attacking sides and both undeniably frail at the back over the course of the season. While United has secured four clean sheets in a row during Premier League matches, Real’s propensity to score on the break has remained the focus for Sir Alex’ side over the past week.
It leads to the very real possibility that United may concede territory and possession on the night, hoping to neutralise Real’s threat on the counter and benefit from broken play, just as Ferguson’s side did at the Bernabéu last time out.
“As we know, they are one of the best counter-attacking teams in Europe and that showed last Tuesday in the Nou Camp,” said Ferguson of Real, who beat Barcelona 3-1 in the Copa Del Rey semi-final at Camp Nou.
“They were stunning on the counter-attack. We have to find a way of coping with that but also having our own threat. There will be goals and I think both teams will score. We have to think we will score more,” he said. “Both teams are in form. As a European night I don’t think you get any bigger than this one – great clubs with great histories. It is set up to be a potentially marvellous game and I don’t think it will be a disappointment either.”
And the 20-year-old’s ankle injury means that Sir Alex is more likely to deploy a traditional formation at Old Trafford. Ferguson deployed two strikers in wide positions and Jones in a holding role three weeks ago. It leaves United vulnerable to Ronaldo’s considerable threat.
“My biggest concern is if he turns up,” said Sir Alex. “What do you expect if you play against him? You expect problems during the night and you try to prepare for it as best you can. It won’t be easy because he does it every week. The experience young Rafa had in Madrid will hold him in good stead because he will be doing the same again. I don’t think it is one we should fear. If we go out fearing the damage Cristiano can do us then we will forget what we can do.”
Jones aside Ferguson has few injury concerns ahead of Tuesday’s fixture. The 71-year-old will choose two from Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić and Jonny Evans in central defence, while three midfield slots remain open. Hat-trick hero Shinji Kagawa could be sacrificed if Ferguson opts for a more defensive-minded option, although the Japanese performed well tucking in from the left at the weekend.
Ryan Giggs will make his 1,000th senior appearance for club and country, although it is likely to be from the bench.
Meanwhile, Real arrive in Manchester with confidence high after twice beating rivals Barcelona in the past week, scoring five against the run-away La Liga leaders in the process. But Mourinho, who is likely to leave Real for the Premier League in the summer, insists that facing United at Old Trafford is just another game. One that the planet will be glued to.
“The world will stop to watch this tie,” said the Portuguese coach.
“I doubt expectations can be bigger than for this one. Nobody knows what will happen because the teams are well matched. United are on a fantastic run. They have reached the FA Cup quarter-final and they are winning the Premier League already in March. They don’t lose a match in months but we are also in good form in 2013.”
It is a fact that few at Old Trafford will have missed. United, holding an away goal, may be marginal favourites, but only just. After all, the last time Real visited Old Trafford, Ferguson’s side was strong favourites to progress. Ronaldo, the Brazilian variety, scored three to take Real through.
Most attending on Tuesday night will hope the 2013 namesake fails to repeat the trick.
Match details
Manchester United v Real Madrid – Champions League, Old Trafford – 7.45pm, 5 March 2013.
Possible teams
United (4-2-3-1): de Gea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra; Cleverley, Carrick; Valencia, Rooney, Kagawa; van Persie. Subs from: Lindegaard, Smalling, Vidić, Büttner, Nani, Powell, Anderson, Giggs, Young, Welbeck, Hernández
Real (4-3-3): Lopex; Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrao; Alonso, Khederia; Di Maria, Özil, Ronaldo; Benezema. Subs from: Casillas, Varane, Albiol, Carvalho, Marcelo, Nacho, Essien, Kaka, Modric, Callejon, Higuain.
Match officials (all TUR)
Referee: Cüneyt Çakır
Assistant referees: Bahattin Duran, Tarik Ongun
Additional assistant referees: Hüseyin Göçek, Mete Kalkavan
Form
United: WWDWWW
Real: WDWWWW
Head to Head
Last 10: United 2, Real 3, Draw 4
Overall: United 2, Real 3, Draw 4
Prediction
1-1*
* United to win on penalties
Nearly the same team as mine. I think Welbz might play instead of Valencia. We have better impact players than them. Off the bench potentially, Chico, Giggs, Valencia, Young, Nani, Welbz, Kagawa.
You know, win lose or draw I have got to take my hat off to Fergie
He clearly clearly is loving the big match atmosphere, you can almost feel he’s like the kid in a candy store.
There’s a man that truly truly loves his job, and that has got to be admired…
Echoing the worries expressed on the Real v United thread, I fear that I will not like starting lineup when it is announced; I certainly wouldn’t like to see Ed’s predicted side take the field.
I think United need a solid back six between the ‘keeper and an attacking front four, and I don’t think that Carrick/Cleverley is the midfield pairing that won’t be overrun. Anderson could do a job alongside Carrick, but it is impossible to know if he will even give it a good try; I wouldn’t risk it, I’d use Valencia to partner Carrick. I’d also substitute the speed and power of Welbeck for Kagawa, who has to drift inside to be effective, leaving Evra exposed to the quick counter. Welbeck would also be more useful if United find that they can’t move the ball through the midfield and have to resort to the long ball from the back.
cant decide between 2-2 and 1-0
Manchester United team to play Real Madrid: De Gea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Cleverley, Nani, Welbeck, Giggs, Van Persie can’t be right….
wtf?
Fuck. I think 2-3, with Rooney scoring off the bench.
Holy shit we’re gonna get done.
Lind Evans Valencia young Kagawa Rooney Hernandez. Most attacking bench ever.
That line-up blows my mind. Not in a good way.
Found this quote on Soccernet: “Real Madrid has been eliminated all 4 times after drawing the 1st leg at home in UEFA series (last in 1998-99)”, and thought that a good omen, but this starting lineup has changed my mind.
Giggs man Mark ronnie? It’s the team we all suspected minus Rooney.. Good weapon to bring on
Rooney is the only surprise though. Not like he left van Persie out. It’s a weird Fergie move, like Beckham in 2003, but if Fergie didn’t want to play him in the middle, it might be better to start with a winger.
That team… It’s gonna put people into meltdown
Rooney is usually shit coming off the bench
Rooney will be seething…
There is no sound reason for not starting Rooney… none … either Rooney has pissed Ferguson off… or he’s being a complete arrogant twat… again!
It must be giggs on ronnie. It’s the only sensible reason
I don’t give a shit how many games Giggs has played, or what form he’s shown lately… picking him over Rooney is madness!
Hopefully Giggs on the left rather than Welbeck. Arbeloa has to be the weak link.
You can’t give Giggs a man marking job ffs
That’s offensive
Unless it’s Welbeck, no one is marking Ronaldo. Team job
I am so fuckin gutted… Rooney is made for games like this… there’s got to be something wrong… no way can Ferguson justify leaving Rooney out, for football reasons.
Whoever is nearest will pick Ron up
He’s gonna be good regardless though, so it’s about what we do in response
thats fucking hard on evans as much as wayne tbf
I can’t make any sense of the lineup and proposed formation. If United mean to attack, the best attacking players would start, but if United mean to defend, wouldn’t a 4-5-1 formation be best?
Pace of rio Vidic pairing is a huge concern. They’ll have to sit deep which makes it hard to press and leaves space for Ozil and Ronaldo to play in.
Evans was training apart from the team yesterday. Think it’s some kind of injury rather than a tactical move. If we’re going for a clean sheet, Vidic is the better pure defender though.
might be that shit variation of 442 we used at spurs with clev on the wing and persie an welbeck upfront
except instead of jones in midfield, theres giggs
This just smacks of Ferguson arrogance… fuck what everyone else would do, Ferguson has to get his cock out and wave it around… “I’m Darth Ferguson, see me and grovel”.
Hmm. Maybe it’s Welbeck/Carrick/Giggs/Cleverley/Nani in a midfield five. Giggs in the center to take the no. 10 role when he’s not too busy chasing Ron.
hes shown bollocks picking giggs over wayne
sentimental bollocks, but still bollocks tbf
Bollocks?
Or senility?
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
his two football obsessions, the ‘glamour’ of real madrid since the 50s, and giggsy
throw in all this 1000th game shite
he fucking couldnt help himself
We’re going to get done, and Fergusons’ excuses for it will make me puke.
don’t say that alfy….
I am absolutely stunned. I will not even have Giggs in the 17 let alone in the starting 11!! My tummy is churning like nothing ever. Blast. Sir Alex? Bloody hell!
Big call for Nani. He has to do it tonight or he is out in the summer.
My pizza just arrived and, unfortunately, it looks to be the highlight of my day.
hes probably been gagging to leave him out a game like this since the contract shite
Ferguson actually had the stones to claim Rooney was a game or two short… and then picks Nani.
I swear… if Ferguson was within arms length… I slap the gum right out of his fuckin chops.
Ferguson’s done a deal with Mourinho… “let me win, and you can have my job”…
ffs he cant go round coming out with that kind of shite knowing full well he picked park against city
Lee Dixon saying put one on Ronnie early on
It’s a well known thing among players that you just don’t do that because he’ll look to embarrass you
That’s what I think as well… this is the game that would hurt the most.
We need to just work our way into the game without doing anything stupid… get through the first 20 minutes… then we’ll see…
giggs does look to be on Ronaldo..
So what happened then??? ovations for Giggs and/or Ronny?
fuck me why are they nervous
Our passing is shite… is Scholes available?
The ball from giggs
Van Persie stay on side for the love of fucking christ
3 times already
Shitloads in the last game
standard giggs tbf
cant keep the ball but he fucking makes magic happen
Fuck sake Evra… expect Ronny to target him now.
Fuuuuck vidic so close
Welbeck…
Giggs is our best player so far, pissed on that euro bender cunt for the corner
Don’t you just love Giggs Unc??
There’s goals here for us no doubt! But so some for Madrid!
Fergies got his tactics spot on!
If welbeck could score goals he’d be amazing.
Also wtf is wrong with RVP? We’ve been spoiled by his early form.
Typical whistle happy euro ref
Nani is having a game… good to see.
Might want to bring Roo on for RVP.
Nah, Giggsy will be the next manager
FUCKING WELBECK
That’s the RVP i want to see
I wonder what the rules say about that.. I mean vidic’s header goes wide, mainly because he’s receiving two fists to the face from the keeper, who has failed to reach the ball. If that was an outfield player in a normal tackling situation it’d be a penalty.
Not burying these chances is going to haunt us…
Giggs has been outstanding.
It’s strange that our full backs can have this bad of a game, against opposition that feature some great wide players, and we haven’t been punished
Is Arbeloa usually that shit?
I’d rather we just keep playing him and playing him. No matter if he has shite game, just keep starting him, he’s a confidence player.
Our best player so far… Mind blowing.
Veran has been immense. We might’ve had a couple of more chances without him
Di Maria going off can only be good.
Why? he’s been shit.
Madrid want the whistle
They’ve struggled with the occasion a bit
Wellbeck is an overrated player.
Game needs a goal… before Ferguson decides to play for a 0-0.
Booing Ronnie early on worke
He’s been quiet and frustrated
We were the better team that half, but didn’t get any goals from it. Fuck I’m nervous. Would love to see Rooney on — but who would you take off? Giggs, Welb, Nani all doing well, and you wouldn’t bet against RVP scoring.
its halftime phelan you baldy fat twat do your job and stop posting on here
He actually looks hurt, don’t he?
Why am I bricking it? I hate this game that I love so much…
Got two world class players (Rooney and Valencia) on the subs bench. Must be some kind og stradegy move for later on!
Fuck I’m scared of Real nicking a 0-1 win at the end.
Rooney on for Nani? nani hasnt been bad but Roo is a world beater in his day….
Giggs is giving it what he’s got… he won’t last the 90… Rooney for Giggs at 70.
if we dont score before 70 we’re gonna drop back so fucking deep
And you are just a an overrated waste of spunk
Get the fuck innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
YEAHHHH
Fucking yes
wonderful from Rafael….. get fucking in
That was Welbecks goal…
Fuck yeah. Game on.
Nani off to Madrid
Need another to be comfortable
Real just need a goal
Great work by Nani there too
Get one more and put this to bed.
2nd time today tubanuts I agree..spot on!
I have to leave for uni around the 70 minute mark, let’s wrap it up by then lads
Lets just calm the storm…
For fucks sake, ridiculous decision
That is fucking crazy
You have got to be fuckin kidding?
what the fuck
That is fucking unbelievable.
An absolute disgraceful decision.
ruined the fucking game….
Well…,I’d’ve just cancelled my kebab order..
cunting uefa referees. In which universe was that a red you fuckin retard
Now to defend like chelsea
Backs to the wall for 30 minutes… fuck me…
Hmm…match fixing…platini sort this
Match fixing?
This is going to be fucking hard. I can’t believe that.
Fergie trying to get the crowd to kick off, need all the help we can get, momentum favours Madrid
Fucking hell..
This going to be desperate… and we’re going to need Rooney.
That’s beyond poor refereeing, that’s corrupt officiating in my eyes.
When Real turn this around, someone will need to restrain Fergie at the end!
I can’t believe match fixing… but this ref should get dropped from the Champs League, after that.
Mourinho slagging the ref off to Fergie
believe
I cant take 30 minutes of this, let alone if it goes to extra time.
We’ve started shitting it as well. Cone on United we can win this
We’ll probably concede, it’s where the second goal is gonna come from
You are telling me refs cannot be bought ffs… Burying your head in the sand lads…they are easier to target than players
Fuck sake.
fuck sake
Nani does a Chuck Norris studs up to the chest without looking where player was. Harsh but you can see it. UEFA ref not FA ref.
Lovely goal from Mondric.
Tosser
Game over.
In fairness that was a terrific shot by Modric. But this match is just a load of wank now.
For fucks fucking sake that fucking ponce waste of semen referee has fucking buried us what a complete piece of shit
Fuck off Meat Head!
Now it is over
So this ref
Stick a fork in… we’re done.
And this ref has completely fucked us over.
Bring Rooney on ffs… he’s got the drive to dig us out.
Where the fuck is rooney
Now we need two goals for fuck’s sake. This is a pisstake.
If any team can do it, it’s us
The ref should be wearing green
I want this ref to suffer pain. Horrible cunt has fucked us!
Right… it’s Rooney time.
Too little too late, should’ve brought him on when we went down to ten
Come on Wayne. Show your fucking magic.
Welbeck fucks another chance
we have to attack now, 10 men or not
What’s Fergie saying to the ref?
“You cunt… I’ll see you after the match”???
No matter how much Wellbeck does, his finishing fucks everything up
Wellbeck needs o go off imho. Different game now. Needs guile and finishing vs only pace
Madrid inviting us on to them so they can hit us on the counter
Fergie is gonna destroy this ref after the game
He won’t be the same man
Mourinho couldn’t believe his luck. Losing the match, no good options to change things up, then gets to flood the pitch with midfielders.
Young coming on… wouldn’t mind one of his far post benders.
And he goes to show tyou right…
No Chico…. Young. Need two goals. Being in someone who hasn’t scored all season. What the fuck.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Wayne………………
we have been fantastic tonight….
RVP hasn’t been sharp, but otherwise we’ve been fucking great.
I might be crazy, but I think Ronaldo deliberately flubbed his last two shots, even the one against the post.
Fucking shitcunts
Imagine still feeling the need to try that shit when you’re in their position. That is so fucking smalltime it’s unbelievable.
What a fuckin save.
That’s a pen
penalty not given and Ramos has the audacity to wave the player to get up after making such a shit tackle
That’s a clear peno against Evra too.
Lol the ref, fergie, just knock him out
We’ve been the better side by a clear margin.
Thanks to this cheating Turkish twat, we’ll never know how this side stack up against the ’98-’99 side.
I’ve missed the last ten minutes… Summary?
Refs have it tough and I always acknowledge they have a very difficult job..but in the past few weeks with my lads and this prick they can all fucking suck an infected cock…shitcunts
If the ref’s can be bought at such high profile games then imagine the day to day spanish league. Smaller teams haven’t got a prayer
Well it is an idiotic decision by the ref…never a red card. BUT it was a silly action by Nani IMHO…he shouldnt have taken the risk…in my eyes its probably a deserved yellow.
fergie interview is gonna be special.. loved rios sarcastic clap at ref
We played really well..but couldnt take our chances and their keeper made some good saves.
What the fuck can you say after that?
That game was far from over, and Real may well have won it anyway… but the ref completely ruined what was a fantastic game…
Tame impalas elephant Is a great tune btw….only thing good tonight
These are the sort of days that make me hate football.
it was a yellow at most.. he was bringing the ball down.. didn’t even see the Madrid player
Nani doesn’t know a player is running on to the ball though, he doesn’t look
Do not want to intimidate the ref – we are not Chelsea.
It was a foul, may be not the red though.
We were brilliant, and we’ll be champions.
Fair enough point…still fairly high studs.
Anyway didnt mean to pin any blame onto Nani…just rues the dodgy dcision making that leads to the undeserved red card
He doesnt go in with a straight leg, and foots not high (head height)- its not dangerous play.
http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/gif-luis-nani-kick-on-arbeloa-gets-sent-off/
Very sad.
Ref was a disgrace. We played OK, Real were knackered and only game into life once Nani got the sack.
League and FA cup double it is then.
Fuuuck. If we’d lost, we lost, I would’ve dealt with it. But losing like that… Fuck me. Makes it ten times worse.
I love Roy Keane a little less here..he’s being a prick here
Fuck off Keane… this ridiculous argument about dangerous play… by that argument… every fuckin goal scored from an overhead bicycle kick should be disallowed.
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
If nani doesn’t go for that Keane would cunt him for being bollockless
Keane is using this opportunity to cunt fergie..his opinion is wrong and he’s cunting it up massively
LKHF
faffing
I am sorry I have lost all respect for Roy Keane tonight. He is a bitter twisted fool. May his career in management never rise again. How on earth can he sit there and defend that ref’s decision to send off Nani? Looking smug and all.
Depressingly I agree with you cal
I lost respect for keane a long time ago just before he was sacked and shown the old Trafford door and he’s been a dick ever since, aswell as a shite manager
I lost respect for keane a long time ago just before he was sacked and shown the old Trafford door and he’s been a twat ever since, aswell as a shite manager
Its not dangerous because his foot isn’t especially high (waist height) and there is no intent to hurt the player because he doesn’t know he is there
Yellow will suffice
Keane is just being contrary and fair enough because it makes for actual passionate punditry
Oh my, isn’t Roy bitter. He’s a cunt of the highest order!
Sid..he’s acting the cunt and using the opportunity to do so…his reasoning is personal vanity more than factual commentary…he’s a massive cunt
Bitter cunt tbf sid
Keane should just shut the fuck up. Every united fan feels shit and for him to come out with that insensitive shit, as a former captain, is unbelievable.
He will be on Strictly next.
I’m still a very proud supporter. That game deserved a better referee than that. Spoiled a possible classic.
Mourinho has been a class act throughout this
His post match was ace, “the best team lost”, he doesn’t give that much of a shit really, he’s just letting United have their moment while Madrid stroll into the next round
In big games the good refs are more lenient to let the game be decided by the best players. Studs were at his waist but can’t see Collina sending Nani off there. Don’t understand why Fergie waited so long to being on the subs and why he brought on those three. Not sure why that team played tonight and the other team played Norwich. Had to bring on Rooney for work rate, determination and disruption after the sending off. Should’ve happened on 65 mins at the latest, then they scored twice.
He’s not good enough for strictly…that shit ice skating one is his level…itv and all that
We showed that we’ve got real quality and well worth our 12 point lead in the league. We wouldn’t be outrageous winners of the CL if we’d gone through. Our midfield is stronger than it has been for years: Carrick is playing better than he ever has before, and Clev/Jones make decent partners.
True, but isn’t that what punditry is in essence
Depends on your motives..if he really feels that then great…he doesn’t though..how can he?
While there is some validity to the question of why didnt he sub sooner, I thought SAF was pretty spot on with his decisions andnsubs. We were very much in control until the d card, and performed xtremely well in the last 10 mins after all the subs…
Jose interview “best team lost”, “no comment on the decision”. Fucks off.
Tbf..fergie has to go now imo
?????
He’s ran his course now and it’s time for phelan to step up
Silver lining for me: we can truly concentrate on the league and the very possible double.
Treble for me is always a bit of a stretch….
So proud, and yet so manically depressed.
At 2-1 it could have been a disaster, but we fought hard and played like champions.
But pyrrhic victories are for bitter scousers, and I’ll be sleeping badly tonight.
I see hugo chavez got a red card tonight aswell..
Agreed
Just hope we don’t crash out of two competitions in one week
Honestly, have no words
Except…any quotes from Ferguson yet?
“Fuck that… there’s something about him, gets on my wick… weasly little cunt, needs a good slap”
Compared to the barca final, an excellent performance. Except Rvp. Fergie played giggs cause he’s a gambling romantic, almost paid off. Sheeeeeeeeeeet……
Everyone has left OT according to Dutch TV. They have been waiting for RVP but no one is talking and in fact have fucked off. Apparently o interviews this evening.
So depressing. Another EPL and possible FA Cup but this is hard.
How the fuck was that not a penalty on Evra? Scandalous.
Wasn’t fergie in for Varane? Shhhhhhheeeeeeeeeettttt……..
Scrub that, press conference about to start. Press room is packed. Following on BBC.
Fergie has sent in big Mick o.O
Keane is a complete dick. No wonder hes a total failure at management.Is RVP running out of goals? Rooney swap for Ronaldo in the summer???Why am I talking gibberish-because I’m so pissed off at us losing.No highlights for me tonight,no reading papers for the next few days,just try to forget and on to the next title.
This resukt and injustice can be the catalyst of a double, or can mean our season spiraling down over next few weeks
Lets hope its the former…
I’m so gutted. Going to take a while to get over this….
Will the ref be held accountable? No.
Dangerous play… goal should have been disallowed… Right Keano???
Cock…
My username seems more appropriate a description for Keane…
With 2 world class players on the subs bench, how thfa cup.e hell do you expect to beat Real Madrid? Allways put your best starting eleven on the field first. Wellbeck and Giggs should have been on the bench and Rooney and Valencia in the starting eleven. And then if we lost, then there would be no excuses. Real Madrid would have beaten our best team. But we must move on from here, wrap up the league and the fa cup.
Bollocks… the tactics before the sending off were spot on and working. Maybe you should change your username to ‘Lay Off the Herbie’.
Not now Herbie.
stop calling valencia world class mike
good press conference tho
not a fucking chance will chelsea get any 50 50 decision against us now
rafas gonna fucking lose it
Steggo @ 11:31: “RVP running out of goals?”
Yep – he looks like he’s lost his edge. I think he needs a ten-day holiday in the sunshine so he can re-charge his batteries.
Overall, Rio/Vidic/TheLegend/DannyTheLad were all excellent; LittleRedRafa di really well but lost CR7 on their second goal – although I think that Ronaldo might have been marginally off-sides.
My feeling after the match was even worse than a couple/three years ago when TheLads were jobbed @ OT against Bayern when Rafael got the second yellow for nothing but Ribery’s play-acting.
Even feel like you’ve been jobbed ?
Glad we have a big game coming up; I think that’ll focus the minds easier than an away trip to say WBA.
RVP undergoing a barren stretch yes, but still think you’re all way too harsh on him. Spoiled by his good start to the season.
He was at the very least decent today. His hold up, his passes were all good. In another day he couldve had 2-3 assists as well (wellbeck, vidic and rooney)
Strikers sometimes dont score goals. tis a fact of life. Other people need to step up….
tbf we were fucking shite for 20 mins or so after the goal ten men or not
I’m tired, pissed off and only just got back from the game so I will try and keep this as brief as possible.
We can blame the ref as much as we like for the defeat but, as far as I’m concerned, the manager takes a large share of the blame for the fact that we’re no longer in the competition. We were stifled by poor tactics at home and waited until we were down to 10 men before we exerted any sustained pressure on their goal. Why? What were we doing in the first half then? It took Rooney a good 10 mins to get warmed up and ready before he came on. It was ridiculous. You don’t let a side like Real Madrid have most of the possession and sit back expecting to keep a clean sheet with the attacking quality they have got. We showed them far too much respect. I correctly called it on here that Rooney wouldn’t start.
I’m terribly disappointed with the way we set our stall out tonight. I love Fergie, I loved seeing him and Rio geeing up the crowd and the players performed incredibly admirably but it boils down to the fact that we didn’t do ourselves justice.
Going down to 10 men made things a lot worse but we didn’t do ourselves any favours because of tactics.
What a game. My head is now full of ‘what ifs’.
Have to say the only thing to barely crack a smile about after that is Ronaldo’s post-match interview, if you haven’t looked it up yet I recommend it for a bit of a heart warm.
Hearing all kinds of shit about Fergie. Apparently Mourinho halted an interview in order to seperate him and the ref.
Still no quotes though. All the players were bundled on to the coach and driven off.
This will galvanize the squad. We should consolidate our position in the league now, and batter Chelsea on sunday.
Shame. Nonsensical decision from the ref to send Nani off, but Madrid capitalised on it ruthlessly. Hurts, but in an attempt to be philosophical we remain with a decent chance of the double. (not a great attempt, I admit).
I feel bad for Fergie, I think he’s gutted. He can’t have many of these CL runs left in him, and I think in hindsight that he was quietly confident that this team had the quality to go all the way. This tie proved that we’ve sort of stealthily become a very good team again. Still lacking a player or two to be really top notch, but we were better than Real over two legs and ought to have had a decent chance against Bayern etc.
Fuck me, I’ve never actually heard emotion come from Phelan before.
I hope this doesn’t effect the squad too much. It sounds like a bad one though. Shit decisions happen. There’s fuck all seperating top teams like Madrid and United. The games are so finely balanced that sometimes it’s a shit ref with a shit decision that determine the outcome of a game.
My summary.
– United were the better team 11 vs 11.
– The Nani decision was a terrible one. By that logic, Lopez should have been sent off for the punch on Vidic. Defenders colliding head to head when attempting to win the ball should result in a sending off for the late challenge. Ridiculous logic.
– I believe the referee assumed that Nani did this on purpose. Fair enough if so and it can be considered as a common mistake by the ref.
– RVP was useless yet again and should have been taken off.
– After the sending off United capitulated way too easily in minutes; the team showed no spine. It was only after the second goal the team sprung back but by then it was too late.
– Fergie lost it in emotion after the sending off. He was egging the crowd on instead of making immediate changes. Mourinho changed personnel in seconds. Personally I would have brought on an other centre back for RVP and played 5-3-1 without any wingers.
– United showed their quality though, the squad is underrated imo.
Sir Ryan Giggs? No no no. Sir Paul Scholes say.
Sheesh you are joking right? We should have gone at Real Madrid from the start? And get our asses handed to us at home? Come on!!
Rooney had no business starting anyway as he stank Madrid 3 weeks ago. He has been utterly useless all season. He had a chance to get us level and hit it ober the bar from 8 yards out!!
The manager’s only blame is that after the sending off he lost his rag and was not able to organise the team. However, it could easily be that even he knew that in a match as tight as this between two equally balanced sides it was never going to work anything he did. Especially becuase in terms of personnel available we did not have the team to lock down the match.
In all of these it is that bitter idiot’s comments that have riled me the most. Roy Maurice Keane you are a fool and will rot in ITV studios. You will never get another managerial job.
Dear Sir Alex Ferguson, the 4-4-2 formation with two strikers and two central midfielders is DEAD. Please stop playing this. Thank you very much sir. Regards,
A Loyal Fan.
Spot IMO. Feel bad for all of them but Phelan is right, no reason to feel down let’s wrap up title and cup.
Fergie did get too emotional but that’s him. Phelan is too simple to see that we needed to lock this down and tell Fergie otherwise.
Cal, Fergie knew before the match that Jones wasn’t fit and he also knew Madrid would score. That Jones is one of players who could do the job he did in the first leg vs Ronaldo meant it made even less sense to sit back. You assume Madrid would have battered us if we we went on the attack. When we did go on the attack, we caused them numerous problems. Even in the first leg, we looked so dangerous when we went forward. Sometimes you have to take a calculated risk. Our tactics were wrong. If we were going to play like we did why did we not play Rooney?
I love Fergie to bits and the ref made things significantly worse but I am so frustrated.
I didn’t see any tv coverage but Keane is a bitter scum bag.
Dont know ash, sucking up the pressure and going on the counter worked well. Playing upfield trying to bum them when they have Ronaldo to head up the counter attacks is too high risk esp their recent record.
Only thing you can blame the manager for is losing the plot and not dealing with the issue objectively, but that is him. Jose was spot on in his press conference, have a look, apart from th usual Fergie bum love some intelligent insights into the game. Also credit to Lopez who may some cracking saves at the end.
Don’t see how our tactics were wrong, they were winning us this match and they ought to have won us the first match with some better finishing. Rooney was one of our worst players in the first leg, he doesn’t have the discipline for this kind of game plan. The only good position for him in this match would be up top instead of RVP, which would have been a reasonable decision based on their recent form.
I can’t understand people treating Mourinho like some kind of genius for making substitutions after we went a man down. That was a fucking obviously thing to do. Arbeloa was shockingly bad in any case, i’d be a lot more impressed if Mourinho had made the decision to sub him before he got to do it for free, tactically-speaking.
The lads only cracked briefly after Modric’s goal, and arguably then only Rafael who let Ronaldo get away from him. Modric’s goal was a brilliant curving strike from distance; maybe we should have closed him down quicker but shots from distance is the kind of thing that happens when you’re a man short against a good team.
Overall, Madrid did not impress me. In hindsight we showed them too much respect in the first half. I said on this thread or the other one before the match that it wouldn’t surprise me if we beat them pretty solidly, about 3-1, and I think that had a good chance of happening if Nani stayed on the pitch. As it was, their keeper kept them in the game in the end. They had a ten or fifteen minute period after Nani’s sending off when they were on top, otherwise they showed fuck all. They’re a true one-man team, without Ronaldo they’re nothing, nothing at all. Benzema, Ramos, Arbeloa — they’ve several dud players. Coutinho and Khedira are good but not as good as they should be, and Ozil is very good but proved against us that he’s not so impressive when he’s not up against La Liga cannon fodder. Fucking anonymous against us both legs really. Welbeck had a much bigger impact on the game both legs than Ozil did.
Got to let it go now… the ABUs are enjoying the moment, but another title will shut them up.
I can’t believe how many fuckwits are defending the refs decision… Keane has a lot to do with that… he’s more or less given his “professional” support to stupidity.
Roy Keane… bitter, pissy, cunt!
http://afootballreport.com/post/44693449268/on-uniteds-collapse-and-the-difference-between-losing
Was too pissed off to reply last night, woke up and drove to work this morning, still in a bad mood about the whole thing. Here are my thoughts:
– That is the most tense I’ve been watching United for as long as I can remember, and, result-aside, it was a very entertaining game to watch
– The referee’s an utter cunt, a yellow card would have been sufficient, and giving a red completely changed the momentum of the game when we otherwise might’ve had a chance of scoring a second and putting the game to rest
– For all the talk of Fergie’s inasnity pre-match for leaving Rooney on the bench, the perfomance up to the sending-off completely justified his selection for me, we were winning and deserved to be. I dreaded seeing Ashley Young coming on as a sub, but to be fair he did more when he came on than Rooney did, who was (not for the first time) abject
– Agree with the general concensus, ever since Roy Keane was shown the door at Old Trafford he’s jumped on any slight opportunity to get on Fergie’s back about absolutely anything, and it really does just come across as bitter
– José Mourinho surprised me with his post-match comments, to be fair he was totally right saying the better team lost, but I didn’t think he was even capable of such humility.
My only hope in the aftermath is that the injustice of the result and our European exit works to galvanise the team rather than unhinge the season.
Rooney on his way? Whats the story? Is it deeper than just tactics?
I hope this was not Fergie’s attempt to show we can play without Rooney ahead of selling him in the summer. There were echoes of Solskjaer and Beckham the last time Madrid came to Old Trafford, even the way Rooney was shaking hands with all the Madrid players at the end reminded me of Beckham smiling and shaking Zidane’s hand. Probably just paranoia.
Alfonso Bedoya @ 09:37: “Got to let it go now… the ABUs are enjoying the moment, but another title will shut them up.”
How about another Double ?
Those missed chances at Bernabeu came back to haunt us. In these two-leg, CL affairs where away-goals count double, the two misses by RVP and the screw-up by TheLegend were damned-near disastrous. Add to that the non-call against Varane when he pulled down Evra who was through on goal and you have a perfect storm that made last night’s match so much in jeopardy.
Who the fuck is “the legend”? Seriously mate. You really are fucking special.
Spudiator @ 10:06: “I dreaded seeing Ashley Young coming on as a sub”
THAT made no sense whatsoever – why not Chicharito ?
Chasing the game, UTD still had chances (none created by AshleyBloodyYoung, mind you !) and were in desperate need of a “fox in the box”.
Chicharito must be well-and-truly pissed at SAF’s tactical man-management.
He was not being humble, he was sucking up to get the job he wants when Sir Alex goes. He’s hoping that his comments will make the directors sit up and say something like, “I say, what a frightfully decent chap this Mourinho fellow is turning out to be.” He’s forgetting that the people who make these decisions at United are a bunch of clueless Yank leeches, who will say, “jose? No way! He costs too much and he’ll want to spend too much money to ‘refresh’ the squad.”
I wished a painful death on the Ref last night, feel quite bad about that now. Maybe, I hope he just gets a bad case of the shits and doesn’t quite make the toilet everytime.
I’m still upset but I’m sure the title will make me feel better, just saves any future pain of watching Dortmund or Munich destroy us.
Mourinho’s going to Citeh
“Fuck that… there’s something about him, gets on my wick… weasly little cunt, needs a good slap”
I continue to wish death on his family, including the beloved family pet
Particularly since evidence emerged this morning which shows Real Madrid as one of the accounts he follows on Twitter…
It’s been some week for Madrid
Beating Barca twice, putting us out
The cunts
It’s been some week for Hugo Chavez
Alive one day, dead the next
Just bringing myself to read about last night’s game now, still sick. A few things stand out from last night:
– super performance from Welbz
– Giggsy….have you been seeing Dr. Fuentes by any chance? Running around like a March hare at the age of 39….can’t help but be skeptical (thanks Lance et al for ruining the plausibility of the sporting unlikely).
– shocking decision from the “referee”, no matter what Roy The Caricature Keane has to say on the matter.
– despite the sending off, conceding two goals in 10 mins was poor.
I thought we were super until the sending off. We looked quite comfortable, Madrid really didn’t know how to get through us. And then the moment of disbelief…
Although no doubt the farcical sending off ruined the game, we failed to react to this. If you want to be champions of Europe, there will be moments of upheaval, you have to rise to the challenge. We failed in that respect. We didn’t reorganise, fell way too deep around our own box, invited way to much pressure, and the inevitable happened from there. I feel Fergie lost the head last night instead of dealing with the challenge in front of us.
We still have the double to play for, not bad consolation really!
It’s something we need to work on. Same thing happened v Bayern and the momentum shifted completely in that game. As I said last night, it felt like we took an age to bring Rooney on.
Real only needed 1 goal to get a foothold in the game yesterday and I couldn’t believe the way we just let them have the ball. We caused them more problems and looked far more likely to score in the last 10 mins of the game when we were down to 10 men than we did in the earlier stages of the match. We should have been more positive from the start. I know Real are no mugs but we could have beaten them.
we mightve seen it out if we had more than one holding mid at the club, couldve brought him on at that point and made a better fist of it
jonesy probably wouldve done the job
I’m sure he’ll bounce back this weekend.
I agree. People say Fergie should have made a change sooner after the red card, but what change was he supposed to make? The players already out on the pitch were the best for a defensive set-up. He only subbed Giggs off when he started to get tired, before that he was brilliant. Rooney wasn’t an improvement on Giggs, and Giggs is a better defender than Rooney. We need another midfielder who’s good defensively.
I loved Paddy Crerand’s comments about Keane last night including this line:
“Let me tell you, I played for Manchester United. I played in a European Cup final. Roy didn’t.”
Not the Glazers… the fans… he’s trying to get the fans on his side.
Could be. Either way, it was a premeditated sound-bite which cost him nothing, but one which he hopes will have inched him closer to his goal.
Quality team and a quality manager. He was lucky with us though, very lucky; 30 mins from being out on his arse.
it couldnt have gone better for him as far as this incessant charm offensive with us is concerned
UEFA initiate disciplinary proceedings against United:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21691929
What an absolute shower of cunts. As for this bastard referee, I can’t believe these stories I’m reading about him following Ronaldo and Real Madrid on Twitter. Absolutely disgraceful. When are governing bodies like UEFA and FIFA going to tackle the real issues in the game?
He was tossing Fergie off when he first came to Chelsea. He slapped up Fergie at Porto with luck and has done it again. He did him twice in the league and the FA cup before Taggart got him back in the league.
He doesn’t need to charm anyone. He goes to a club, wins and fucks off to the next one, and wins. End of. Why would he charm United? He doesn’t need us, he just loves he media and himself, and wants to amass trophies. Good on him, he’s entertaining esp when he was beating up other managers like Benitez and Wenger.
If he wants the United job, he will take it if the money is right, win and then fuck off. If City give him a better deal, he will take it, win and fuck off. You know what you get with Jose, success, trophies, European style efficient and effective football and a short term contract.
thats why hes the right one to take over taggart
and hed make it easier for whoever takes over after him since the ‘fergies successor’ label would be gone, and hed leave behind a top side that’d probably be european champions
Breach of contract, you pay up brother. End of.
Ref was shit, he got it wrong and in the future many refs will continue to get it wrong. It was a judgement call and the cunt judged it wrong. Until there is evidence of corruption, you need to put it down to human error spasticness. The worst decision was the 100 per cent penalty against Evra. That was a foul in the box, so penalty. No debate about yellow or red, just a penalty.
Twitter thing is stupid, it don’t mean jack but obviously it implies bias so yeah they sold sort that shit out. They have to seen to be impartial in every respect. The cunt is supposed to be an elite UEFA ref FFs
he is clearly trying to charm the pants off everyone connected to utd tho, he knows what the likes of charlton think of him
hes gagging for taggarts job and always has been
The total lack of shit talking before and after both games bodes well in terms of Mourinho taking over from Fergie
And the “best team lost” comment, he’s trying really hard
This, couple with the way Fergie and the squad have reacted to going out makes me wonder whether this was his last shot at the competition
Right or wrong I don’t know. It’s unlikely you will ever get a manager longer than four years. The era of Jose, AVB, Mancini, Laudrup, any young Bundesliga manager and Guardiola is here. I hope Ole makes it because he would bring longevity but if he’s shit, no chance.
Anyone who suggests Gollum from Everton, Goblin O Neil, Bruce, Sparky, Giggs and other shithouse managers deserves a slap. Can you imagine what Jose or Guardiola would do to them in the UCL? That’s not even thinking about the nu breed German managers who actually know a thing about football.
Sid he’s too smart for that, what he actually said was … speaking as an independent … Best team lost, Etc, in order not to piss off his team and the club and fans. perfect phrase to add to the bird flu, waitrons omelettes and Wenger vouyerism comment.
What he said was right so not sure how people can blame him for being honest. If he said Madrid were best, you would be calling Nima cunt for talking crap. So now he is a cunt for being honest.
Jose does not need a new job, or the united job. We are the ones who will need a new manager shortly. Believe, it will be Fergie who goes to Jose first with a job offer if there is one. Not the other way around. If not, big deal, cunt will go elsewhere with a budget and win.
I really hope not. I don’t think we are that far off winning it again. This year’s competition was seen as open because Barcelona are on the verge of going out and other sides like Bayern and Dortmund (maybe even Milan) have improved. There is such a fine line between success and failure.
We really are due some luck (and favourable decisions) in the competition. I hope we win it at least one more time for the manager.
People like to talk our side down but we just went toe to toe with Real Madrid.
Laudrup with Ole as assistant is my new fav. Love the Scandavania philosophies, hard working , respectful and knowledgeable.
The United job is not just ‘any job’ and Mourinho knows it. It wouldn’t be the same at any other club. Beyond more money, what else would he gain elsewhere?
Agree with this, and anyone who thinks Madrid are shit or a one man show know nothing about football, absolutely nothing. They are an excellent team and just like any team have there ups and downs. Sometimes they are shit but on average they are good to very good. They are fucking smart too, dirty bastards but have finally worked out how to beat a technically pure side like Barca.
Could not disagree with you anymore. Ash this is deluded. Look at the candidate, not the club. Jose wants to win three UCLs with three clubs, he doesn’t care where, so long as he moves on, works in a different country, environment, language, has a media circus around him.
The United job is only good because he would want the media attention of following The Manager of Managers Fergie and to beat up on
Mancini. That is it. It is not because it is United but because it is a playground for him to boost his ego.
The best job for Mouringo wld be Barcelona. It represents everything that he loves, attention, controversy, challenge and to win the cup with the big ears.
Believe, he does not give a shit about united, only about himself following Fergie. If Wenger had done at Arsenal what Fergie had done,
Jose wld be there. It’s the ego boost to emulate a master, not to build upon a club that had its roots based on a bunch of part time railway workers.
Not the last shot for the team as we have so many young players. No idea how long Fergie will go on for though and for the likes of Rio, Scholes and Giggs time is running out fast. We’ll see how Evra, Vidic, Carrick and van Persie age too.
These are my thoughts:
You have to ask yourself if there is some kind of conspiracy at UEFA, because not much else can explain the absurdity of the ref’s decision. I also read he follows madrid and ronaldo on twitter. What a way to make a name for yourself as well – I can’t wait for his autobiography, and endorsements of cleaning products on Turkish TV.
I also reckon Jose knows a thing or two about this (the corruption at the highest levels in the game) and has eluded to this several times. Perhaps his comment (behind his hand) to Fergie was ‘How much did they pay him?’
When Fergie retires I think it has to be Jose to replace him, if not then Pep, but personally I prefer Jose. I think he raised the bar in English football when he was at Chelsea. He made Fergie raise his game (and start dressing a lot more sharply!), no other manager has done this in quite the same way, at one point Chelsea looked truely unbeatable (and more so then the so called Arsenal ‘invincibles’). It’s a testament to Fergie’s resolve that he was able to match and eventually outdo Jose’s Chelsea. Jose has the style, intelligence and ruthlessness needed to take the club forward in the next decade.
I also think Jose wants to manage United for the right reasons. He knows it’s the best club in the world and knows he would get the freedom and respect from the owners to do things his way. This has clearly not been the case at his previous clubs.
I doubt that very much. The only reason Jose does anything is for the glory of Jose.
I agree with whoever said we could have done better after the red card. We looked shaken, and we just lost it for 10-15 minutes. We were awesome in the last 10
We will learn from this and be better for it.
After all is said and done guys, while I still hurt from the terrible sense of injustice, when I step back and look at the big picture, the double is still very much on and we still have a commanding lead in the league.
My point: we should be happy. In the big picture not much was lost – the treble was never that realistic anyways. Given that many of you were slagging this United team for being average not so long ago, we should be happy for one less distraction
“Former Manchester United player Paul Pogba, 19, currently of Juventus, feels no sympathy for his former club after they were knocked out of the Champions League. Speaking a after the 2-0 win over Celtic, the Frenchman said: “Was I sad to see Manchester United lose to Real? No!”
Full story: Tuttosport”
Fucking…little…cunt!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2289046/Ronaldo-hits-Sir-Alex-Ferguson-fat-jibe-following-Real-Madrid-Champions-League-win-Manchester-United.html
Only vaguely related, but the tabloids do love to stir shit up based on nothing. I do find it highly doubtful that Fergie would be so tactless as to actually refer to him as “Fat Ronaldo”, even if that’s what the rest of the world is calling him, and it’s funny how there are no direct quotes anywhere to even suggest it was ever actually said.
You can’t shit a shitter – he should accept that he’s a whale and move on.
Like Cap – embrace the blubber
Fuck me, don’t you ever get tired of talking shit?
What do you know? Nothing! But you’ve got Mourinho sussed, eh?
He’s not just a football manager Meat Head, he’s also a family man, and it’s no secret that he wants to settle in one job, for the sake of his family… THAT is the main reason he wants the United job… because it represents the best chance for success, and prestige, with the benefit of long term stability… it’s also why he’s been pimping himself to Engish football ever since he left London… “English football is the best”, and “one day I will come back to England because I love their football most” and all that bollocks… he’s been blowing kisses at Fergie and United consistantly for one reason… he wants the job… period!
So stop talking like you know “Jose”… cause you don’t know anything about anything… you are rather good at making a tool of yourself though.
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
Looking over the replays, the referee made a big and costly mistake in sending Nani off. I do believe that FIFA needs to put in new rules where mistakes are made that costs games like penalties not given, balls that cross the line and goals not given, bad referee calls, the game can be reviewed and be ordered to be replayed under new rules. There is too much money involved and too much at stake for teams to be cheated. Maybe tv cameras can be used more to call plays back and be reviewed where the referee decision can be overturned like they now do in cricket and American football. Something needs to be done because referees are making too many costly mistakes. And then we’ve got referees being investigated for match fixing. We don’t need this.
No…fucking…shit
Anyway, let’s all forgive UEFA – they’re a great bunch:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21700295
Don’t encourage him – he gets off on winding us all up
tbf mike you wont be saying that when rafas moaning about the ref giving us every decision at the weekend
“No United player spoke to the media either, which also breaks competition rules.”
FFS… what player was going to volunteer for media duty after that farce?
“Who the fuck is “the legend”? Seriously mate. You really are fucking special.”
Well, it sure isn’t AshleyBloodYoung.
And I’m seriously chuffed that you consider me to be “fucking special”; your vote of confidence means a lot to me.
We need to get on and give Chelsea a flogging and wrap up this league. I wonder if SAF will retire if we win the double. Its good to go out on a high. But I don’t think so because I do believe he would want to win the Champions league again before he retires.
Joe Hart would have done
Neville interviews Giggs post-Madrid:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2290869/Gary-Neville-interviews-Ryan-Giggs-Manchester-United-legend-Champions-League-defeat-Real-Madrid.html